MUA Luxe Velvet Lip Lacquer in Kooky

When I dyed my hair purple a few weeks back I decided I needed some new lipsticks to match it as probably half of my lipsticks would no longer go with it. I picked up one of the new Rimmel Moisture Renew lipsticks which I'm absolutely loving (review here). I'd been eyeing up the Topshop velvet lips as it was the perfect purple but after spotting the MUA one for a lot cheaper I thought I'd give it a go.

The MUA luxe velvet lip lacquers are a liquid lipstick that dries super matte with full pigmentation that lasts. They are similar I imagine to the Lime Crime Velvetines. I'm still eyeing up red velvet to try.

I personally love a matte lip. I think matte looks great with bold colour but to get a perfect matte lip is a challenge. I hate it when it feels tight or dry on the lips or when cracks.

The first thing I love about these are the packaging. The frosted glass and simple and sleek packaging look much more high end than their £3 price tag. I also love that they are boxed! A waste of packaging yes but it always makes me feel like I'm getting something better.

Kooky is a very true purple. It has a very impressive pigmentation and comes out true to colour on the lips. With these less really is more. I find it best to wipe some of the product of before applying and go for a thin layer. The coverage looks better, it's less messy and it lasts better.

I find if I applied too much product it almost crumbled off my lips. I also wondered about applying a lip gloss over the top for if I wanted the great pigmentation but with a glossy finish. This didn't mix well. It just peeled off the velvet lip lacquer underneath and looked really messy.

I also find apply less feels more comfortable on the lips. When I apply it more thickly it makes my lips feel tight and almost more like I need to pout.

They do wear well with a strong pigmentation but wear time is dependant on whether you eat and drink as they do start to wear off from the inside and you are left with the outer parts of the lips being coloured.

These are great for strong pigmentation and matte finish without leaving lips cakey and dry when applied right. Overall I like them and will probably pick up the other colours. Kooky really is a great colour and a purple like this isn't something I'd have thought of picking up before but it has surprised me how many compliments I've got especially from people I wouldn't have expected?

Have you tried these yet?

Love M

xxx

Review: Murad's Pore and Line Minimising Hydrator

Good morning! I've got another review for you today on a skincare product that's a little different and definitely a lot exciting!

Murad have recently launched their new Pore and Line Minimising Hydrator along with their Replenicell Hydration technique.

Hopefully I can relay this to you in a non-confusing manner that you will understand, the technique is obviously very scientific and I don't want to confuse you all! Here goes:

The brains at Murad (Dr Howard Murad and his son Jeff Murad) have devised a concoction of osmolytes, amino acids and trehalose to pre treat water used when creating all of their products. Replenicell is basically a new kind of water that is added to everything during production.

By doing this, water molecules are attached to compounds that can access the skin and pass through its barrier, taking water in through the barrier with them and therefore hydrating your skin. Because of the way skin is designed, water molecules cannot simply pass through of their own accord, if that did happen every time it rained or we had a shower we'd just swell up!

There are three ways that Replenicell helps your skin:

1) It attracts water molecules
2) It binds the water already within the skin's surface
3) It strengthens the skin's barrier to help it retain more water.

This is a really clever and simple way of getting more hydration into your skin without using complicated chemicals that could be more harmful to your skin.....why on earth has nobody though of this before?!

This technology is currently debuting in their new products the Pore and Line Minimising Hydrator (£49.50 from October 2013) and their new Rapid Collagen Infusion (£78.00 in February 2014).

So...how does the Replenicell technology affect the skin?

I was lucky enough to be given a tube of the Pore and Line Minimising Hydrator to test it for myself which I have been using religiously for the past couple of weeks.

This Hydrator claims to clear and tighten pores for a refined complexion, boost collagen and plump skin for younger and smoother looking skin.
Having done their research Murad have found that pores are just as highly rated as wrinkles in women's number one skin concern and so they have created this product to help combat both in one go.

Its key ingredients are:

Kombucha Collagen Defense - which stimulates collagen production and inhibits its breakdown

Lentil Seed Extract and Witch Hazel - controls excess oil and tightens pores

Cinnamon Extract - this restores the skin's surface by reducing inflammation and oil production

The Hydrator is a white lotion with a very thin consistency, I'd say it's a lot more like a serum than a moisturiser, it's almost like a gel and unlike any other product that I currently own.

I've been applying this morning and evening after cleansing, toning and applying my serum. This sinks in super fast and my skin hasn't had any negative reactions to it whatsoever. It feel quite cooling on the skin which has been nice, not so sure it will be so appreciated now that were reaching colder temperatures in the UK but nevertheless this feeling doesn't last long.

I was worried that this wouldn't hydrate my skin as much as it currently needs. My skin is temperamental at best and is oily in the centre and dehydrated everywhere else, therefore I thought the serum like quality wouldn't be enough for those areas.

I was very wrong and have been enjoying using this twice a day, it has certainly hydrated my skin without overloading the t-zone area and I've found that I haven't needed any extra hydration like I thought.

I'm lucky in that I don't have too many wrinkles as of yet...but I'm 25 so that time is coming very soon! Hopefully this product has helped to keep my lines at bay for a while longer and I'd definitely be interested in knowing about the other products that Murad will be including in their Replenicell range, which I believe will be all products eventually.

Fingers crossed!

Murad are such a great brand, not only do their products really work, their research is outstanding and they just have such a family vibe about them. God knows I couldn't work with my dad all the time, he'd drive me crazy!

What Murad product is your favourite? Do you like the the sound of the Replenicell technology?

L xxx

Revlon Nearly Naked Foundation

Happy Friday!!!

This is a rather late post that I didn't actually think i'd be writing as it has taken so long.



I picked up Revlon's Nearly Naked foundation as soon as it came out (no idea when that was now!). The promise of coverage that looked 'nearly naked' was very promising and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I chose colour 130 - Shell.

However after using it for a few days I was back to my usual foundations because the coverage wasn't enough and my face looked awful, so it was consigned back to the foundation box and forgotten about.



Having decided that i need to stop buying more and start using up it has recently come back into my life as I was determined not to waste it and my money. I started off by mixing it with other foundations so it was thicker and provided more coverage, but after applying it one day alone I suddenly realised the effects that everyone else had been raving over!



The bottle itself is glass which is lovely and luxurious but doesn't have a pump which is a little irritating. It means I end up pouring it out onto the back of my hand which can be a bit of a nightmare as I'm clumsy first thing in the morning.

That aside, I apply it with my Real Techniques buffing brush and after a few minutes of blending I really love the effect it has. My skin must have improved enough that it only needs lower coverage to look uniform, which is lovely and shows my hard work is paying off!

Emma Stone's skin in the adverts looks amazing and I'd love to look as naturally beautiful as she does.

My skin is nowhere near that good and god knows I get some lovely outbursts at the moment which don't seem to have any reason but in between those moments, I use this foundation and here are the results:

I have no other make up on in these pictures apart from the Nearly Naked foundation, so excuse my non existent eyes, brows and lips, ghost anyone?!

That said, the foundation has blended seamlessly into my skin and there's not a tango tideline nor a cakey catastrophe in sight. I'm actually amazed how well this blends now.




I do think that having slightly drier skin helps with this product, for oily skins the product would just slide off which is what was happening to me before, and then not cover enough of my blemishes.

I apply this everyday without primer as it seems to stick to my skin and stay well enough without, which is a money saver in itself!

Are you a fan of Nearly Naked? Which other products in the range do you like?

What's your favourite Revlon product? I'm such a fan, if only they wouldn't test on animals!


L xxx

NOTD: Slytherin

Happy weekend everyone!

I've had a few quieter weekends recently which has been great for catching up with myself. There's always so many things to do, not only the usual cleaning and tidying but getting to the gym, meeting friends I haven't seen in ages and the all important Christmas shopping!

I've surprisingly managed to get mine done in record time this year as ideas came to me so easily, that combined with the fact I only have my parents and brother to buy for plus a little secret santa gift for a friend.

With that said, I've been going through my nail varnish collection and taking advantage of the darker and more wintery colours that I have. Here's a design I came up with one Saturday night:

For this I applied 2 coats of China Glaze Smoke and Ashes from the Hunger Games collection and then painted the tips only with 2 coats of Sinful Color's Nail Junkie





Both of these colours are ones that I adore but never wear very often. My immediate thought once finishing them is that they're a very Slytherin' kind of nail polish look! do you agree? I couldn't help but call this post Slytherin after realising this!

The dark green/black base along with shimmering green and turquoise glitter go really well together and look a bit magical; maybe that's what made me think of it!

What do you think of my nail idea? Do you like combining glitter polishes and effects like this for a new look?

I think I need to shop my stash more often, I'm forever buying new polishes and i need to control myself and get some will power. I have a whole suitcase full of them but no doubt I'll be buying shed loads in the sales still....and that's with them not even on sale price!

Which of the Sinful Colors polishes are your favourite? Do you buy from limited edition ranges such as the Hunger Games ones from China Glaze?

L xxx